לב

And regarding this principle — many stories have already been printed of all the Tzadikim both early and later ones — from the holy Ari may his memory be for blessing and from the holy Baal Shem Tov may the memory of the Tzaddik be for blessing. And likewise all the wondrous stories of our Master Teacher and holy Rabbainu Rabbi Nachman may the memory of the Tzaddik be for blessing — in the books Chayay Moharan and Shivchay HaRan and Sichos HaRan — of all that passed over him in his places and his dwellings and in all his holy journeys. And in particular from the order of his holy journey to Eretz Yisroel — as explained there — a little like a drop from the sea — from the very hardships and adventures that passed over him — until he merited to come there and to merit there what he merited. And behold — our Master Teacher and holy Rabbainu the rav Rabbi Nachman may the memory of the Tzaddik be for blessing — he revealed to us in his holy discourses the greatness of the wondrous and awesome holiness of Eretz Yisroel — even now when it is in exile. As he said explicitly at the beginning of the discourse of the nine precious tikunim — §20 in Likutay Moharan Part One: whoever wishes to be a true Israelite — that is, to go from level to level — it is impossible except through Eretz Yisroel. And there in §234 he wrote that Eretz Yisroel is the all-encompassing holiness of all the holinesses. And he also revealed to us the greatness of the near-obligation upon almost every person of Israel to be in Eretz Yisroel — at least for a time — even if it is impossible for him to settle and dwell there permanently. And his heart burned greatly for Eretz Yisroel — as he wrote on the verse "and Moshe bowed down to the earth" in Likutay Part One §155 — that his heart burned for Eretz Yisroel with the language of a burning blaze of fire. And also after his return from Eretz Yisroel — his longing for Eretz Yisroel was still enormous and exceptionally great — with true soul-consuming yearning. As our fathers told us — that when he was in Lemberg he sat with people at the Seudas Shelishis of holy Shabbas — which is the time of Ra'ava d'Ra'avin [the time of times]. And he spoke then at length of the greatness of the holiness of Eretz Yisroel — with will and very very intense longing — until it grew dark at night. And a candle had not yet been brought into the house. And the people who sat with him felt that he had begun to expire. And they cried out to bring a candle to the house. And they stirred and woke him. And they then understood that because of the greatness of his longing for Eretz Yisroel — his soul had been on the verge of departing.

And I heard from one of our anshei sh'lomaynu — that it is also hinted in our holy Torah regarding the passing of Moshe Rabbainu peace be upon him — that his soul departed at the time of Ra'ava d'Ra'avin — at Mincha time on Shabbas — because of the greatness of his longing for Eretz Yisroel. For it is known that Moshe prayed 515 [five hundred and fifteen] prayers to come to Eretz Yisroel. And in the end when Hashem said to him (Devarim 34) "this is the land... I have shown it to you with your eyes but you shall not cross over there" — immediately it is written "and Moshe died there" and so on. For when a person is shown the thing he desires — and it is withheld from him — the desire intensifies even more. And likewise — when Hashem showed him the Land and said to him "you shall not cross there" — his desire intensified even further — until his soul departed. And behold — more than all his other holy disciples — our teacher the rav the holy Tzaddik Rabbi Nussun may the memory of the Tzaddik be for blessing merited to receive his holy mind — to guard and to do and to fulfil. And as he understood from his holy discourses that all the holiness of a person of Israel depends on Eretz Yisroel — he yearned very greatly to merit to come to Eretz Yisroel. And he poured out his heart like water before Hashem — that he should merit to come there. As the one who looks will see — the awesome Prayers about this in his Sefer Likutay Tefilos. And he also merited to innovate very many wondrous Torah innovations — to explain how all the holiness of a person of Israel depends on Eretz Yisroel — and these are written in his Sefer Likutay Halachos. Until Hashem helped him to merit to shatter all the obstacles and to come to Eretz Yisroel. And as we found in the satchel of his holy writings — a special pamphlet also called by the name Yimay Moharnat — in which he wrote the entire order of his journey at length — every thought, speech, and deed through which there came to him a hint and a strengthening to come to Eretz Yisroel. Or through which there was an obstacle to Eretz Yisroel for him — which too was for the sake of the yearning. And all the circuitous routes and the tossing about he had on this journey — and all that passed over him in every place. And we have already written above of the great power of the stories of Tzadikim — of all that passed over them. Therefore we said to print it — so that it should be a remembrance for our anshei sh'lomaynu. And so that the heart of every person should be aroused — how much one must strengthen oneself to come to Eretz Yisroel. For if a great and holy Tzaddik such as this — for whom time was very precious — who guarded his every hour and every moment so that not a single moment would be wasted — and who was always occupied with the service of Hashem in Torah and prayer and innovations in Torah — even so — for the sake of the great love of Eretz Yisroel — he went through many detours and tossings about. And in every place something happened to him. And he lowered himself greatly — to engage during his journey in selling books — and to seek a place to sleep — as will be told within the book — of what passed over him in Istanbul and in Alexandria. And all of this was worthwhile to him for the sake of meriting to come to Eretz Yisroel. How very much more so we — orphans of orphans — babes who have not seen the light — it is certainly worthwhile to endure many troubles and hardships — in order to merit to come to Eretz Yisroel — and to be there at least once in one's lifetime. Perhaps through this we will merit to return to Him in truth.